VERO BEACH — University of South Florida football coach Willie Taggart has adopted a saying John Harbaugh shared with the Bulls last week while making an appearance at practice.

Following the Baltimore Ravens coach’s advice, the Bulls are learning to “be comfortable being uncomfortable.”

That lesson was put to practice Wednesday when the USF staff cruised through Vero Beach Sports Village — where the Bulls are training through Saturday — at 3 a.m. to wake the players for a surprise, three-hour scrimmage.

“We’re going back to work, man,” Taggart told GoBulls.com before practice. “We said at the beginning of camp, ‘We have to be comfortable being uncomfortable,’ and I want our guys to come out and play football no matter what the situation is.

“It’s time to play ball and we’re looking to see how our guys respond.”

The players had no idea they would be waking up early and certainly didn’t expect such a difficult workout at 4:30 a.m. when they kicked off in Holman Stadium. The coaches had blared music, beeped horns, banged on windows and opened bedroom doors to startle them from their slumber.

“I woke up startled like it was a tornado. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ ” senior defensive end Julius Forte told GoBulls.com. “You’re just hitting that good sleep where you’re dosing off and having good dreams. You might have Halle Berry or somebody knocking at your door but when you see coach (Marquel) Blackwell at the door you’re like, ‘Hey, you’re not Halle Berry!’ ”

Taggart said the Bulls passed the test. USF’s reward for its early morning toughness was a relaxing afternoon trip to the beach.

“It was fun riding around screaming (waking up the players) and seeing some of those guys, but I’ll tell you something that was interesting. I thought there would be a lot more moaning and groaning, but I didn’t hear anything,” Taggart said.

“I was impressed.”

QUARTERBACK BATTLE

Taggart said the quarterback battle is no more clear than it was before camp started.

USF still has four guys competing, with senior Bobby Eveld and redshirt sophomore Matt Floyd leading the way, while sophomore Penn State transfer Steve Bench and freshman Mike White also are in the mix.

The winner will replace graduated starter B.J. Daniels, who threw for 2,075 yards and 14 touchdowns last year.

“They are still competing,” Taggart said. “Every day, those guys are doing something well, but every day, they’re doing something bad, too. It’s kind of up and down. One day, a guy will throw a touchdown but he’ll also throw an interception and for us, we can’t allow interceptions.”

So what is Taggart looking for in his quarterback?

He said it’s simple: consistency and leadership.

“Those are the key components we are looking for in training camp, and I can’t say anyone has taken the lead from that standpoint,” Taggart said. “We’ll continue to let this week play out and see how it goes.”

Taggart said Floyd is the more athletic one between him and Eveld, but Eveld has a better understanding of the offense.